Fastweb's Winners Circle: Laverne

By Leah Westfall

October 11, 2010

Although Laverne, 42, might not be your typical college freshman, she, like most student today, was looking for a little extra cash to help pay for school. That money came to her in the form of $2,000 she won through Fastweb’s Roam the Globe Study Abroad Scholarship this past September.
A student at College of Alameda, in Alameda, Ca., Laverne hopes to use some of the money to go to Cancun or Mazatlan, Mexico where she would like to practice some of the Spanish she has been taking, although right now she said she’ll use most of the money for school.
A self-described displaced employee, or someone who was laid off in his or her field due to a change in the job/position or there was simply not enough work, she returned to school to study medical coding and medical billing and hopes to one day work in a doctor’s office or hospital behind the front desk.

“If I give up on school, what else am I likely to give up on in life?” said Laverne who credits a recent attitude change to her unwavering persistence. “If I see a scholarship that applies to me I’m going to apply,” said Laverne who has only been using Fastweb for about two semesters now. But according to her has applied for well over two-dozen scholarships. “Like anything you’ve got to be in it to win it,” she said.
Laverne’s advice to other students looking for scholarships is to apply, apply, apply and look for the opportunities that present themselves. “If you don’t apply," said Laverne, “you can’t complain.”

Need Money to Pay for College?

Every semester, Fastweb helps thousands of students pay for school by matching them to scholarships, grants, and internships, for which they actually qualify. You'll find high value scholarships that are easy to enter like Niche $2,000 No Essay Scholarship, and internships with companies like Apple, Google, Dreamworks, and even NASA!